Student Services

Browse these pages to find library resources, technology resources, and information about policies and procedures.

Complaints

Indiana University is committed to providing an exceptional educational experience that is transparent, efficient, stimulating, and fair. The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct is IU’s way of ensuring that the rights of students are protected and respected.

If you feel your rights as defined in the Code have been violated by a member of IU's online community, you may file a grievance. If at all possible, the IU Office of Online Education would like the opportunity to work with you to resolve the problem. Please fill out this form, and a member of our staff will contact you as quickly as possible. If you have spoken with the Office of Online Education and would like additional information, please continue reading.

Indiana University has established procedures for students to follow when they believe that their rights as defined in the Code have been violated by a member of the IU community.

The local campus offices of the dean of students, affirmative action, and faculty affairs, as appropriate, will assist students in addressing their grievances. All campuses of Indiana University are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This level of accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If—after following the procedures outlined in the Code—you believe that your complaint has not been properly addressed, you may file your grievance in accordance with the following:

If you live in the state of Indiana, follow the procedures outlined on the website of the Office of the Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs for filing a complaint. Additionally, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), can hear certain higher education complaints. Please note that ICHE cannot review complaints related to course grades, academic sanctions, or discipline and conduct matters. ICHE’s authority to hear complaints and instructions for filing a complaint are described here.

If you live outside of the state of Indiana but reside in a state that has joined the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), please follow the procedures detailed in the next section. The Office of Online Education has indicated SARA member states parenthetically in the list of states below. However, new states may have joined since this page has last been updated. For the most recent list of SARA member states, please visit the SARA website linked above.

Additionally, if you live outside the state of Indiana, you may wish to file a consumer complaint with the appropriate agency or office in your state of residence. You will find contact information for agencies that hear complaints against institutions of higher education in each state provided for you below.

Complaints arising from distance education courses offered to students in other SARA states come under the terms of Indiana University’s agreement with SARA. If you are a resident of Indiana, you should follow the complaint procedures for “in-state students” listed above.

SARA consumer protection provisions require Indiana’s SARA portal agency, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (ICHE), to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity by a provider, including the provision of false or misleading information. Additionally, SARA policies provide for the investigation and resolution of complaints that an institution is operating a course or program contrary to practices set forth in the C-RAC Guidelines (see “Quality of Online Courses and Programs” section above) in such a way that a student is harmed. The ICHE complaint process can be viewed here.

While the final resolution of complaints rests with ICHE, nothing precludes the student’s home state from also working to resolve the complaint, preferably through that state’s SARA portal agency. Students who wish to bring forward a complaint are advised to read the full SARA Consumer Protection Policy beginning on page 8.

If you are an active military service member, a veteran, or a family member of a current military service member or a veteran, your complaint may be eligible for review before the Department of Defense (DoD). For more details on this process, please click here.

For instructions on how to file a complaint within your home state, click on your state below. States with parentheses have NC SARA designations.